It was a hot summer day in August of 2012, when I arrived to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, for a job interview for Director of Sales and Marketing for what today is known as Wymara Resort and Villas. Despite the heat, I traded my instincts for vanity in the name of feeling confident and getting the job, and decided to wear my best pair of dress shoes and best sports jacket.
After meeting with the General Manager, he toured me around the property, when, to my relief, he suggested I remove my jacket. He must have noticed the sweat rolling down my face.
I was very impressed with the balance Wymara struck of modern architecture, without being cold, and a luxurious ambience, without feeling pretentious. When the General Manager invited me to see Grace Bay Beach, I responded in a tone that came out a bit more braggadocios than intended, saying, “No, it’s okay. As an island boy from Puerto Rico, I have seen plenty of beautiful beaches.” He answered, “Hmm, I think you may want to.”
We walked down the boardwalk and WOW! He was so right… the first thing that grabs you is how white the sand really is. Then as I looked up, I was hypnotized by the endless hues of blues on the water, from dark navy blues to the lightest turquoise I had ever seen!
I stood there in awe while the GM sported a victorious “I told you so” smile on his face. Then I noticed a shoe rack at the end of the boardwalk, and asked him why it was there. “Well, for shoes!” he explained matter-of-factly. With a subtle eye-roll, I mentioned I would never use it because my feet would burn off on the hot sand, to which he responded that the sand in Turks and Caicos does not heat up. “What? I’m sorry, but as the Marketing guy, I’m the one who makes stuff up!” With a sincere chuckle he told me to take my shoes off and walk on the sand. I refused, he insisted, I complied. Again, he was right. As hot and sunny as the day was, the sand still felt cool to the touch. It was truly like walking on a bed of powdered sugar.
Intrigued, I had to find out why. As it turns out, one of the factors that determines how hot sand gets under the sun is the metallic content of the sand. The natural sand on Grace Bay Beach is mostly made out of pulverized coral, which naturally has very low metallic content. I was sold! Endless shades of blue, cool powdery sand and constant tropical breezes. We should all be so lucky to experience a long walk on Grace Bay Beach. And please, feel free to leave your shoes on the rack.
-Jorge Collazo, General Manager